Wycombe Wanderers held on gamely for a point at Craven Cottage – frustrating big spending Fulham in front of the Second Division’s biggest crowd of the day.
Ray Wilkins made eight changes from the midweek meeting between the sides in the Auto Windscreens’ Shield, bringing back most of his first-team regulars and handing a debut to striker Kyle Lightbourne, who arrived on loan from Coventry yesterday. The Whites started the stronger with Paul Trollope and Lightbourne testing the reflexes of Martin Taylor in the Wycombe goal before Peschisolido shot wide on the turn.
Wycombe were penned back during most of the opening exchanges but once the visitors found their footing they were a threat on the break. Steve Brown spurned a good chance midway through the first half when he went for precision at the end of a flowing move rather than powering a shot past Maik Taylor, who was relieved to make a routine save. Peschisolido saw a shot deflected wide at the other end, but Wanderers should have taken the lead just past the half hour when Brown somehow hit the bar from eight yards when it looked simpler to score from Dave Carroll’s cutback.
Fulham began the second half at some tempo and a frustrated Peschisolido couldn’t believe that the visiting defence scrambled his cross-shot clear after he had rounded goalkeeper Martin Taylor, who had recklessly charged from his goal and been beaten to a loose ball in the right back position. The Canadian international, furious not to be awarded a penalty during the home side’s next attack, drove wide of the far post when teed up by Trollope but you got the sense it wasn’t going to be Fulham’s day as Martin Taylor made two more terrific interventions in the final ten minutes.
The Wycombe keeper displayed razor-sharp reflexes to keep out a Lightbourne effort from six yards out and then produced a fine save to tip over Steve Hayward’s header from a Trollope cross.
FULHAM (4-4-2): Maik Taylor; McAnespie, Lawrence, Neilson, Coleman; Bracewell, Hayward, Smith (Freeman 59), Trollope; Peschisolido, Lightbourne. Subs (not used): Blake, Thomas.
BOOKED: Trollope.
WYCOMBE WANDERERS (3-5-2): Martin Taylor; Forsyth, McCarthy, Kavanagh; Simpson, Forsyth, Carroll, Brown, Harkin; Stallard, McGavin. Subs (not used): Wraight, Cornforth, Read.
BOOKED: Kavanagh, McCarthy, Brown.
REFEREE: Clive Wilkes (Gloucestershire).
ATTENDANCE: 10,468
